WDWG - Chapter 20: Conversations

"Buffy, darling, have you seen my specs?" Giles called out from the common room as they were getting ready to head out and face the day.

"Specs? Sounds like someone can't wait to get back to England." Buffy teased as she walked through the door trying to put on a necklace.

"And why shouldn't I be? It's the first trip back where I am bringing my heart home with me. Here, let me get that, love." He said, taking the chain from her as she turned her back to him and moved her hair out of the way. Fumbling with the clasp for a moment, the myopic Watcher finally got it securely fastened and placed his hands on her shoulders, kissing the nape of her neck before letting her go.

"Mmm. Thank you. Oh, and your glasses should be in the pocket of your sport coat."

"Ah, yes. The cross is beautiful by the way. I don't remember seeing it before." Giles complimented as he retrieved his jacket from the floor near the desk.

"I bought it when I was out the other day, right before I told Angel he was history."

Pulling his glasses from the pocket, Giles couldn't help but smile. The ease with which Buffy dismissed Angel's involvement in her life pleased him no end.

"Are you mostly packed for tomorrow? I'm not sure how late we'll be with Dawn and Dad tonight." She continued.

"Mostly. There's not much to pack, I'm afraid. I've laid out clothes for tomorrow and I'll pack my toiletries in the morning. How about you?"

"The same. Do you want to go for a run with me tomorrow morning? I don't know if I can sit the whole flight if I don't."

"If you are willing to hang back for an old man." He winked.

Buffy looked him up and down suggestively, "You've proven you can keep up with me on more than one occasion."

Giles strode over and picked her up, causing her to yelp, "You naughty little Slayer! If we didn't have somewhere to be, I would toss you down on the sofa and ravish you until you scream my name over and over again!"

"And what is it we're supposed to be doing?" She asked breathlessly, running her hands along his chest and kissing his neck.

"Mmmm, love, really, if we are going to leave tomorrow, you need to stop distracting me."

Sporting her mock pout, the Slayer stated, "Alright. But for the record, you were the one who invaded my space bubble and threatened to ravish me on the couch."

"Duly noted. Although to be fair, you do provoke me so, especially when you wear such an alluring dress that hugs your body so intimately. Yes, utterly ravishable." He growled, playfully biting her neck before gently putting her down and kissing her forehead.

Buffy softly whimpered her protest as Giles let out a mock evil laugh and walked back into the bedroom to finish getting ready. Looking at her suitcase, she called to her lover, "We're going to have to do laundry soon. I think I only have enough clothes for another two days."

"It is getting rather desperate, isn't it? We'll make it a priority as soon as we arrive, and later we'll take some time to flush out your wardrobe." He answered as he made his way to the bedroom doorway.

"What about you? Don't I get a chance to give you a clothes makeover?" She questioned, walking past him into the common room.

"I have plenty of clothes at home." Giles dismissed, following her.

"Uh huh. Let's take inventory when we get there, see what you've got and go from there." She suggested, letting the matter drop. "Do you have the paperwork?"

"Right here." He said, holding up the envelope containing the Power of Attorney. "Are you ready?"

"Absolutely!" She answered, taking his arm.

XxXxXxXx

Having signed the legal document and witnessed by the Notary Public, they headed to Beverly Hills to have lunch at Spago. It was another fine southern California day and they sat at a table on the Garden Terrace, enjoying the weather and the ambiance.

"Have you ever been out of the country before, Buffy?" Giles asked, taking a sip of the dry Alsatian Riesling he ordered with their meal.

"No. I was going to go to an ice show in Vancouver when I was twelve, but I got sick and Mom and Dad cancelled the trip. It's funny, Dawn and I got our passports right before she started school because I thought maybe we could visit you in England sometime. When you left to take Willow back to the Coven... God, I missed you so much! Then I got the job at Sunnydale High and I thought maybe we would visit for Christmas if I could save up enough money."

He chuckled, amusement dancing across his handsome features, and said, "I was planning to spend Christmas in Sunnydale with you lot. That could have provided a comedic moment with both of us standing on each other's doorsteps wondering where the other one was."

"Nah, we would have coordinated it before hand." She mused, taking a bite of her salmon pizza. "Besides, do you really think Dawn would have been able to keep her trap shut about a surprise like that?"

"No, she would have burst well before you got on any plane. I must say that I am happy that we will have Christmas in England this year."

"Me too. I was disappointed that we didn't get to visit and do a real wintery Christmas with snow, a fire in the fireplace, chestnuts roasting..."

"This year we will have a traditional Christmas, Buffy, I promise. We'll set out decorations, trim the tree, sing carols, and the night of Christmas Eve, we'll sit in front of a crackling fire, talking and holding each other... until it's time to go to midnight service, if you like. It's always been a favorite of mine: the music, candlelight, the message of peace, and... hope."

So much was said in that last word. Christmas clearly was a refuge for Rupert Giles. Even during his darkest hours after his mother's death, his self-imposed exile on the streets of London, and his separation from his Slayer he found light and hope on Christmas.

"I love you, you know that?" She asked rhetorically, watching his face beam with delight. After a few minutes she put down her fork and she looked up at her fiancé, "I need to be honest, Giles, I am a little wigged about leaving the good ol' US of A."

"That's understandable. I was considerably nervous when I left England to be your Watcher."

"It's strange. I lived here in L.A. for the first sixteen years of my life and now it just feels all wrong. There's no connection anymore. Sunnydale became home mostly because of family... Mom, Dawn, Willow, Xander, and you, but, even Sunnydale just became a place we lived after Mom died and you left. Things just weren't right after that. I know things will be fine and that we'll make a perfectly wonderful home together across the pond, but..."

"But?"

She let out a sigh, "I'm American, Giles."

"Yes, very." Her future husband agreed, leaning back in his chair to allow her the space to think out loud and express her troubles.

"I'm not sure how to explain it. So much has changed... is changing... and so much is jumbled. Don't get me wrong, it's for the better. The constant is you... us... and it is so very, very right! I just... I guess I just don't want to forget who I am and where I came from. Does that make sense?" She asked, hoping he would understand.

"I think so. With all the changes that have happened since the activation of the new Slayers and your decision to retire, there's a definite change as to what defines you as you. And the move to England just heightens that fact, because being American is yet one more thing that defines you as Buffy. Am I right?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. How is it you can do that, Fiancé-mine? Clear up my thoughts to make them make sense?"

"I've had years of practice translating Buffy speak. You forget, I'm a linguist, too." He added smugly.

"You suck at Chinese, by the way." She teased, taking him down a notch.

Giles pulled his glasses off and started to polish them. "Yes, well. Asian languages never quite made sense to me. Several demon languages are easier to decipher!" Satisfied that they were spotless, the Englishman placed them on the table and turned to his future bride, "Nobody is asking you to leave behind any part of who you are, love. You will always be Buffy. A change of address is not going to change that, just as it didn't when you moved from L.A. to Sunnydale. And we'll keep the American traditions. I can't imagine Xander not having his annual excuse to stuff himself silly, so Thanksgiving is a must. And on the Fourth of July, we will have a huge bar-b-que and invite all our friends, and maybe some of those people we don't know, but to whom I am related. You know, the ones who will show up at our reception. Though that might be a bit odd since you will be celebrating your independence from Great Britain. Hmm... we might need to rethink this."

Buffy started laughing at his silliness. "I'll have to buy an extra big box of fireworks to let you Limeys know this Yank means business!"

"As long as you don't declare your independence from me." Giles said, lifting her hand to his lips and placing a soft kiss upon her knuckles. "This finger is still entirely too naked for my taste. Would you like to go to Cartier or Tiffany's?"

"Oh! You did promise jewelry shopping. But seriously, Giles, we don't need to pick out another ring. I can wait."

"I can't. Now, finish your lunch. My credit card needs a workout." He commanded half jokingly, his eyes smiling.

"Didn't the Slay-brigade do enough damage to your credit card?"

"That wasn't mine," he grinned broadly. "It was the Council's."

XxXxXxXx

Giles took her to Tiffany's. There was just something about it that was iconic and feminine and he loved the idea of spoiling her in there. They had the young sales assistant jumping because Buffy couldn't decide on what style she wanted and Giles refused to tell her anything about his mother's ring, wanting to keep it a surprise. She finally decided that since she had a ring waiting for her she didn't want a diamond and she wanted something she could eventually transition to the ring finger on her right hand.

After a long while she ran across a platinum ring inset with two baguette tourmalines in a square setting, the color of which reminded her of Giles' eyes right before he kissed her for the first time in the desert: darker than his usual shade, but definitely not emerald. It was simple yet elegant and she loved it.

The cautious Watcher inspected it for magic and when he found none, he took the ring, lifted his eyes to catch hers, reflecting the love he felt inside, and slipped the ring on her finger. "It's absolutely perfect, my love."

She leaned in to give him a gentle kiss, "Thank you! It's beautiful."

"Wow, how stunning! And it appears to be a perfect fit." The sales assistant announced. "Would you like to look at our collection of wedding bands as well? We have a nice selection of gorgeous platinum bands that will go wonderfully with that piece."

"No, thank you. I think we've managed to do enough damage for the moment." Giles replied, handing his card over to the young man.

After the sale was completed, the content couple strolled down Rodeo Drive hand in hand window shopping. "So, do you think the sales person at Tiffany's..."

Laughing, Buffy interrupted, "Oh, he's totally half demon! He managed to hide the tail well, but hello, Slayer here!"

Giles giggled with her. She was carefree and in a playful mood.

"Thankfully he wasn't evil. I would have hated to have to slay him. I mean we're on 'holiday' and I'm enjoying my retirement. It just would have put a damper on the day." Once again she attempted to pronounce holiday with an English accent and failed miserably.

Giles cracked up even further. "I think it came out as more of a South African accent this time, my dear."

"Crap!" She grumbled through her chuckling. "Oh well, it's as I said before, Giles, I am American."

"Hopelessly so! But be careful, or you might find an English accent creep into your speech pattern after a few months."

"Oh no, I'm so not going to sound like Madonna after marrying her Brit! Anyway, you haven't gained an American one since living here."

"Huh? Uh, well, no, not exactly, but there are a few words that I say the American way. You just don't know it because you aren't aware of some of the differences in pronunciation. In fact, a few of my friends have commented that I sound decidedly more Colonial now."

"Uh huh. Riiiight." She vocalized in a disbelieving tone. "One word: 'specs'. Anyway, they'll see how wrong they are when they meet me."

"Indeed. Now, is there anything else you've seen that I may spoil you with?"

"I could use some more underwear. I seem to recall you destroying a pair and I am sure it won't be the last."

His mouth curved up into his devil-may-care Ripper grin, "Do I get to pick some out for you?"

"Oh, naughty Watcher!" Buffy admonished, returning a wicked smirk of her own. "I'm sure something can be arranged."